Keeping Promises
by flipflopsandsocks14
Summary: They both know how the ache in their heart feels after losing someone so important to them.After her mothers death Ryssa keeps her guard built up high so that no one will grow attached to her and become heartbroken when she's gone.After his fathers death Seth tries his best to keep living life even with the vampires so close to home.They need each other, more than anything.
1. Chapter 1

I watch the hearse roll in, followed by multiple cars. I lean against my tree and watch them carefully, trying to figure who could've died. The people who pile out of the cars are all dressed in black and most of them are over six foot. _What a strange sight._

I finally find the immediate family after searching for a few minutes. It's now a family of three and I assume it's their father that passed. I tilt my head watching them. I can tell that they're the immediate family because they stand closet to the six foot hole in the ground. I shake my head, knowing how they feel. What it's like to feel that terrible loss and pain that aches in their whole chest.

My mother passed away about a year ago. At that time I felt as if my heart would never be whole again, but I found a way to adjust. I always thought it was strange when people spoke to loved ones graves but now I knew why they did. It helped fill some of the void, made you feel better that they could still listen to what you had to say.

I visit my mother's grave every Tuesday to read her a chapter of her favorite books. It makes me feel better to sit here under the tree that covered her grave and run my hand over the damp grass that surrounded this area. It was always calm in the cemetery and the perfect place for me to collect and sort out my thoughts. When I sat here, I felt like I wasn't so far away from my mother after all.

I watch the funeral for a long time. The way the people stand with each other I can tell they're all very familiar and comfortable with each other. Perhaps they're all family, cousins' maybe. They're also all Quileute, I can tell because they have traits similar to my mother, who was half Quileute herself.

I shift uncomfortably when the final words are said and they lower the casket into the ground. The woman that I assume to be the wife cries heavily. The sounds of her sobs make me want to leave but I wasn't ready to go just yet. Going home at this hour would mean I would be going home to an empty house and I didn't like being alone. Sure here I was by myself, but there was people in view, noises that were comforting. In an empty house everything was silent and that eerie silence would set into my bones causing my ears to ring and for me to realize that things weren't ever going to be as good as they once were.

So I never went home without knowing for sure that there was going to be someone there and since it was just me and my father at home now, it meant I couldn't go home until after six.

My eyes stay glued to the scene in front of me. As much as I want to look away, I can't. I know the feeling of pain they have in their chests and I want to do nothing more and tell them that things will get better but it would be rude to interrupt a funeral, especially one of a person I didn't know

A soft breeze flows through the air and tousles my long light brown colored hair. The boy, who I assume to be the son, turns and looks at me. His almond shaped brown eyes that are filled with tears meeting my dark green eyes. I swallow and bite my lip feeling a yearn to brush the tears away from his eyes. To rub his back and whisper in his ear that things do get better.

One of his cousins puts a hand on his shoulder and looks over in my direction. I nod my head to them before turning my gaze onto my mother's headstone and trying to look busy by rearranging the flowers and small gifts that people have left for her. I peek through my hair at the funeral and find that they're leaving. The boy I yearned to hold is now walking back to a car, his arm wrapped tightly around his mother. He doesn't even look back.

As the cars pull away I run my hand over my mother smooth headstone, tracing the letters in her name. _Emmy Estelle Marshall. _My chin quivers slightly and I close my eyes trying to regain my composure, it was hard sometimes to keep my wall built up so high. I refused to let anyone break it, get around it. I never wanted anyone to be close enough to me in fear that when I left this earth I didn't leave people broken hearted. Like how my father is now.

Like how I am now.

A person's death sometimes causes you to forget your will to live.

~T~

I get home around six thirty and find my father in the kitchen. The sound of water boiling and the knife against the cutting board causes me to bite my lip again. Everything was just reminding me of my mother today.

"Hi dad." I say before hopping up on the counter and lifting the lid to the pan to find pasta cooking. Typical Tuesday night dinner, he made just enough so that we'll have Wednesday night leftovers.

"Ryssa." He says with a slight grin towards me, "You're home right on time. I needed someone to taste the pasta sauce." He says before handing me a slice of french bread.

I dip the soft bread into the sauce and wait for it to cool off. I watch the steam rise up and curl into the air like smoke from a fire. I take a small bite and swallow it down along with the lump in my throat. My dad has been using my mom's recipe book since we both missed her home cooked meals.

My wall was crumbling, I need to pull myself together.

"It's really good dad." I say and he smiles ever so slightly, "Tastes just like moms."

"That's good, I miss mom's cooking." He says and I nod my head in agreement.

My mother passed on September 28th in a car accident. She was taken from us so suddenly that I went into shock the first few days she was gone. My dad just became distant, he tried at first but after a few months we both slipped into our own grieving ways. I didn't let anyone in and my dad became piled down with work. We barely spoke more than a few sentences to each other. We would say hi, ask about each other's day, and then that was it.

When my mother was alive all we did was talk. There was never a dull moment in our house, but not anymore. I didn't know what it was like to feel happy anymore. What it was like to actually look forward to something.

I was scared to get my hopes up in fear that it would only lead to disappointment.

~.~.~.~.~.~.~.~.~.~.~.~.~. ~.~.~.~.~.~.~.~.~.~.~.~.~.~.~.~.~.~.~.~.~.~.~.~.~.~.~.~.~.~.~.~.~.~.~.~.~.~.~.~.~.~.~.~.~.~.~.~.~.~.~.~.~.~.~.~.~.~

I can picture last week's events perfectly in my mind. It was Friday and Leah had been begging my mom to let her go to Seattle for a party.

"You never let me go anywhere." She hissed at my mother but she refused to let up. My mother is a stubborn woman that way.

"You're not going Leah, and that's final. You may be nineteen but you still live under our roof and have to follow our rules." My mom replied calmly before standing up to head into the kitchen. My dad had been sitting on the armchair facing the TV.

"Dad?" Leah began say but he didn't lift his eyes from the screen. He did shift a little to watch the game around Leah but that was it.

"If your mother said no, then you're not going. Mom's house, mom's rules." My dad said equally as calm as my mother.

Leah shook and if I hadn't seen it with my own eyes I would have never believed that our couch had been ripped in two by a giant wolf that is my sister. She shook out her white fur out and stumbled around, breaking things in the process. Leah was able to run out of the house and I was finally able to pick myself off the ground, only to find my father flat on his back and clutching his left arm.

The ambulance didn't get here in time and my dad died on the way to the hospital. Upon hearing the news I ran outside and into the woods, feeling a white hot heat tear through my body until I leaned forward and twisted into a giant sandy wolf.

"Seth?" Leah's voice rang out in my head and then a few deeper ones rang out after hers.

"Stay where you are Seth, we're coming to get you." Sam said and I sat down, waiting patiently. You think I would feel panicked that I just exploded into a giant dog, but I felt calm, like it was natural.

"Is dad-?" Leah says and I think about what happened after Leah was able to get out of the house. Dad on the ground, mom screaming, the ambulance, and the doctor telling us he was no longer alive.

Leah lets out a low howl in mourning and I join her. The rest of the pack soon joins in until we're all singing the same hauntingly sweet song for my father.

My mom weeps silently in the front seat and I can't bring myself to console her. I didn't know what to say and I was scared that I would say the wrong things to her and make her even more upset. I'm glad Charlie's here because he leans over and pats my mom's shoulder reassuringly. I like Charlie, he was a good friend of my dad's and I knew my mom appreciated his presence.

The cemetery is gloomy and pretty much empty, except for the people here for the funeral and a few others vising loved ones. I walk with my mother and Leah to the hole that's six feet deep and will be the permanent resting place of my father. Well my father's body, I liked thinking that his soul was somewhere fishing in some great river while he watched down on us.

Most of the people here are from the pack and their imprints. There's a few of my dad's friends, almost all of them are Quileute except for Charlie. I stand between my mom and Leah and hold their hands.

People say great things about my dad, but they'll never be as great as the actual thing. If you knew my dad, you'd understand. He had this one of a kind personality that made you want to listen to his stories and just be his friend. I wasn't going to meet another person like my dad, ever.

People like to say that my dad and I are similar but I didn't really see it. Sure I was a happy go lucky guy like my dad but I wasn't as great as he was. I could never get a whole room to quiet down just to hear what I have to say, but I did have a good head on my shoulders nonetheless.

A breeze blows through the air and I catch a whiff of cinnamon, cotton, and lavender. It's a strange mix that's incredibly comforting and causes me to look back. There's a small teenage girl sitting underneath a willow tree with a book in her hands. She's watching us and when I meet her eyes it's like a string tugging at my heart.

I feel the tears sting my eyes and I know I should be paying attention to whatever Charlie's saying but I just can't. This girl is the only thing that's holding me together right now; the sight of her makes me feel relaxed. Calm. I want to walk over to her and pull her into my arms.

She doesn't look away from me and I study her carefully trying to memorize everything about her face. The way her nose turns up like a ski-slope, the olive tint to her skin, her high cheek bones, and her emerald colored eyes with eyelashes that touch her cheeks, I've never seen anyone so beautiful. I'm about to take a step in her direction but Sam stops me.

"You'll see her again Seth, but right now isn't the time." He murmurs carefully before looking at the girl. She nods her head towards us and gives me an apologetic look before turning her head way from me and busying herself with the flowers around the grave she's visiting.

I wrap my arm around my mom's shoulders and lead her back to the car. She's sobbing heavily now and I knew that I had to get her out of here. I have to fight everything I have not to look back at my imprint because if I do then there's no way I'm ever going to be able to leave here without her.

~T~

"You alright there Seth?" Embry asks as we run patrols together. We were on red alert since Bella disappeared to Italy with the future telling vampire. Sam wanted me to stay home and get some rest, but I've been anxious to get out of the house. Everything in my house reminded me too much of my dad and it's painful to be in there.

"Just thinking about that girl." I say back as I make a run around the river. Embry chuckles and flashes an image of her in my mind. "Yeah, that's her."

"You're a lucky guy." Embry says , "Barely been a wolf for a week and already found your soul mate."

"Yeah too bad I don't know her name." I say and Embry changes course, he's picked up on something, perhaps that red head.

"I bet she lives here or in Forks. Most likely Forks though since she seemed to be white." Embry says and he snorts. The trail he picked up is old and he growls in a low frustrated growl, "Damn bloodsucker."

The pack was starting to get impatient with these vampires. I haven't been a wolf for long, only four days but I knew they had been trying to catch this red head for months now but she kept eluding them. Now they had to worry about the Cullen's return.

Something in the back of my head told me that my father's death was just the beginning of it.

* * *

First part is our OC pov, second part is Seth pov.


	2. Chapter 2

I tuck my hair back into my hood and sit back on the bench. I was waiting for the bus to bring me to the small public library located in Forks. It was sprinkling and by the grey clouds over head I could tell it was going to start pouring rain soon. Hopefully I would under a roof before the clouds opened and cried on our small grey town.

Forks has a total of six bus stops; in front of our school, in downtown (which if you ask me really isn't much of a downtown), by town square, in our small shopping district, a bus that takes us up to Quileute land, and the last bus that takes us up to Port Angeles. I've been on all of them since my mom died. When she was alive, I could count on her to bring me everywhere but now I was left to my own devices.

I don't mind riding the bus. I actually enjoy how communal they are. I'll never know the type of person I'll meet on the bus. Sure Forks is a small town and I know pretty much everyone if not by name then by face but sometimes you'll find random backpackers, lost tourists, or even a homeless person on our bus. All three of these people very rare and that's what makes it all the more fun to people watch.

People watching is more difficult then it sounds. You have to be able to watch a person without freaking them out but you don't want to do a million subtle glances or just stare at them the whole time. So you give them one good look over, trying to find something that makes them different from all the other people in the world. After your one look over then you give subtle glances collecting any small details you might have missed. When you feel like you know their story, you ask. I know it sounds strange but it helps you realize the exterior of a person can sometimes never reflect their interior.

The bus pulls into view and I sigh in relief. I don't think the bus has ever been late, not that I'm complaining.

"Afternoon Ryssa." Hank, a balding man in his mid-forties, says to me with a grin. On Fridays after school he drove me from school to the library.

"Hi Hank." I say before dropping my change into the box. "How are you?"

"Feeling good, and you?" He asks as I take my seat in the front. No one else was on the bus today.

"I'm alright." I say and Hank nods pulling the bus out onto the road. The rain starts to fall now and I breathe a sigh of relief.

"How's your dad?" Hank asks and I twirl my hair uncomfortably. My dad was distant and depressed. He never laughs like he used to and his eyes are dull, it's like he died with my mom.

I couldn't tell Hank all of that though and instead I say, "He's been working a lot up in Seattle."

"Ah, your dad's always been working. One of his many admirable qualities." Hank says and I nod my head. If you asked me my dad worked too much, but Hank didn't ask me so I keep my mouth shut.

The bus chugs along and I stare out the window watching the raindrops race each other. A lot of the strange things I do are habits I picked up from my mom. She was one of the most interesting person that you could come into contact with. She was half Quileute and half European mutt, or that's what my grandma liked to tell me whenever I asked what her heritage was.

My mom wasn't raised to be Quileute so I didn't know anything about that part of me. I wasn't even really Quileute anyways. I was about a quarter Quileute and didn't look it at all.

My mother told me that I should still be proud of that small drop of blood that is Quileute. It was still a part of me, who I was, and who I was going to be. I never understood that and I probably never will.

"Bye Hank!" I call out to him as I jump off the bus and run for the library trying to dodge the raindrops as I go.

The library is quiet and warm, smells like dust but that's a minor annoyance that I can easily get used to. It's Friday and the librarian is expecting me like she is every Monday and Friday. Those were the days that there wasn't a lot of people to drive me insane but just enough people to comfort me.

"Ryssa dear, how are you?" The librarian Mrs. Cottle asks me. I smile at her, she was a grey haired women with frail arms and wrinkly skin. She was a grandmother of the children who lived up the road from me and always made my father and I casseroles.

"I'm ok, how are you?" I ask as I shift my bag to my other shoulder. I was eager to get my weekend homework done so I wouldn't have to worry about it.

"Peachy dear." She says and I smile before passing her desk. "Are you really studying on a Friday Ryssa? You should be out with your friends."

"I don't have any friends." I say even though we both know that's a lie. I had two really good friends that I pushed away from me any chance I had, but they were relentless as I was stubborn and refused to leave me alone.

"I'm sure if you call Johnny and Sarah they'll come and get you. The three of you can head over to Port Angeles go see a movie." Mrs. Cottle says but I shake my head.

"No, I have tons of homework." I say as I walk away again.

"Ryssa, you can't push people away from you forever. Your mother would have wanted you to live life, not hide from it." She calls after me but I ignore her.

It was easier to be distant and never love then to be in love and have my heart broken.

~.~.~.~.~.~.~.~.~.~.~.~.~.~.~.~.~.~.~.~.~.~.~.~.

I find myself back at the cemetery for the fourth time this week. The girl hasn't been back and the rain already washed away her scent. The only thing I knew about her was that she was visiting the grave of a woman named Emmy.

Emmy's grave was done up with flowers of every color and small knickknacks of angles and stones that are carved with words like dream and love. Who ever this woman was she was loved, very much.

I sit back and lean against the same tree she was. I take a deep breath trying to catch her smell again but all I smell is grass, dew, and heavy cologne.

I look up to find a man in a suit making his way towards me. As he gets closer her gives me a strange look and I meet his eyes, they're green like the girls. My heart beat picks up and I stand up.

"Can I help you?" The man asks and I stutter trying to find the words.

"Oh, I was uh..." I say stupidly and the man tilts his head awkwardly at me.

"Spit it out son." The man says and I can tell instantly that he must be in charge at work. If he was a wolf Sam would have competition for Alpha.

"The other day, Tuesday, when I was here I saw a girl here. I know this sounds strange and I promise I'm not some creepy stalker but I just wanted to see her again." I say and the man's face turns into a stony mask of indifference.

"That girl would be daughter and I'm sure she's much to young for you." The man says as his eyes size me up.

"I'm only fifteen sir." I say and the man lifts a brow up in surprise.

"Well then," he says trying to think of another excuse as to why I should leave his daughter alone. "I think it would be best of you left me alone with my wife."

I look down at the grave and bite my lip. This was the girls mother. Emmy Estelle Marshall was her mother. "I'm sorry for intruding Mr. Marshall, I should have realized this wasn't my place."

I start to walk away and the man kneels next to the grave. I head over to my father's grave and get a sick feeling in my stomach. The ground here was still fresh and soft. A reminder that my dad was no longer sitting at home, waiting to watch a game with me or invite me fishing.

I choke back a sob and run my hand over the tombstone. I trace over the letters of hid name easily and close my eyes. I don't think anything can prepare you for death.

"Excuse me," Mr. Marshall says and I look up at him before standing slowly. "What's your name?"

"Seth, Seth Clearwater." I say as I shake his hand. He nods his head at my firm handshake.

"You're Quileute," Mr. Marshall says and I nod my head. He studies me for a few more seconds before saying, "Ryssa's usually at the library at this time."

Ryssa. The girl's name is Ryssa. Knowing this gives me the sudden urge to dance. "Thank you sir."

~T~

The library closes at six so that meant I needed to hurry. It's about 5:45 by the time I get there and I sigh in relief.

When I walk in the librarian looks at me curiously. You can tell that she's one of those women that knows everybody and all the gossip in town.

"Can I help you?" She asks and I walk up to her desk. Trying to pick up any scent of her.

"I'm looking for someone, a girl actually." I say and the woman lifts her brows. Her eyes lighting up.

"What's her name dear?" The woman asks and I lick my lips, feeling the nerves.

"Ryssa Marshall." I say and the woman lifts her brow and smiles, but it soon falters and my heart sinks.

"I'm sorry dear but Ryssa already left." The woman says and I hang my head in defeat.

"Thank you." I say and she stops me from leaving.

"She'll be back on Monday though. She's here every Monday and Friday." The woman says and I nod my head in thanks.

I decide to run home instead of taking the bus. I shake out my sandy fur and stretch my limbs out.

"Hey little bro." Leah says in my thoughts, "Find your imprint?"

I show her the days events and she laughs causing me to feel worse. "Shut up Leah."

"I'm sorry but that is rich. That would happen to you." Leah says with such a laugh that I can't help but smile a little. She hasn't been very happy the past few days, she blamed herself for dads death.

"Do you think you can take my patrol again on Monday? I'll do yours on Sunday." I say as I dodge the trees.

"Who do you have patrol with that day?" She asks skeptically and I sigh.

"Paul." She groans and let's out a snarl. Paul and her did not get along, it was oil and water with them.

"How about I go look for your girlfriend and you hang out with Paul." Leah says and I grumble at her.

"Please Lee?" I say and she growls at me again.

"Sure little bro, why not." She says and I leap in the air in excitement.

"Who else is on patrol with you?" I ask realizing that my mind is incredibly quiet.

"It was Embry but he fell asleep a long time ago. Wake him up, you'll be running onto his patrol area soon." Leah says and I nod my head, "I'm going to clock out, you got it from here?"

"Yep, thanks again Leah." I say and she sighs.

"Whatever." She says before disappearing from my thoughts, but I knew that whatever really meant you know I'd do anything for you.

It was the Clearwater nature to want to help those we loved in anyway we could.


	3. Chapter 3

"You're really going to end up hurting someone with that oversized ego of yours." I tell Johnny in the far left corner of our algebra two class.

Johnny smirks at me for a split second before returning to his story about how all the guys were all over him at the Seattle club him and Sarah snuck into on Friday. Their night sounded wild and crazy and I was glad I had skipped out. Their view of fun was a lot different than mine.

I like when things are planned and calm, collected but my friends enjoyed the wild nights and it didn't help that Sarah's older sister, April, could sneak them into every party and or club she was going to that night.

I missed the days were the best night was when the three of us curled up on the couch in my den and watched movies. Those days are long gone now.

"You're totally coming with us next time, it was the best night ever." Johnny says and I can't help but laugh at how overly girly he can make his voice. Sure Johnny is gay, but he over did it sometimes and he knew it too. Johnny acted like this because he liked the attention, there isn't a lot of gay people in Forks so whether the spotlight was good or bad, Johnny was always striving to be in it.

"That's not really my scene, maybe we can just watch a movie this weekend." I say quietly because our teacher has just stepped up to the front of the class.

I don't enjoy math or anything that has anything to go with numbers. I'm great at reading, writing, and can memorize important events in history like no other but the second you throw in a number. _Boom_. _Stupid_.

I end up tangling my pencil in my hair and I hear a snicker next to me. I glance to find Heather DeAngelo, my tormentor from first grade. She was the one who put paste in my hair and we had to cut it off up to my ears. I looked like a boy until it grew back that summer.

I've always been an easy target for Heather since I'm shy, awkward, and just a little strange, ok really strange, but that's not the point. The point is that I've been walking on eggshells my whole school career in fear that I'll do something idiotic and end up the laughing stalk of the school and then I'll be immortalized in the school yearbook and I'll never be able to live it down. _Ever_.

So maybe I'm really dramatic as well.

I untangle the pencil calmly and act like I don't notice her on the right side of me, trying to figure out a way to make fun of me. I lick my lips and struggle to keep my eyes on the PowerPoint when she lets out a chuckle.

"That's a good look for you Ryssa. Goes great with that god awful shirt that you not only wore today but last week as well." Heather says in a voice that makes my stomach twist.

"You know it kind of freaks me out that you pay so much attention to Ryssa." Johnny chimes in quickly, almost protectively. Johnny hates Heather and the way she treats me. As best friends we stick with each other, like the same things and hate the same people.

Heather sneers at Johnny and is about to make a witty comeback but Mr. Daniels calls on her and pulls her attention elsewhere.

I smile appreciatively at Johnny and and he taps the tip of my nose with a pencil. It makes me laugh and he winks, Johnny and Sarah loved getting laughs out of me. It's rare for a full laugh to escape my lips but when it does my friends can't help but smile back at me.

School drags on uneventful, the way I like it. I hurry my way out of the school pulling the hood on my forest green coat up and over my head. I was avoiding Sarah and Johnny since it's Monday and the day I go to the library.

The bus is idling, waiting for me because Hank knows that I'm going to the library. Hank grins at me and I drop my money into the box. It jingles against the change that's already in the box and I tilt my head in curiosity, someone else is on the bus today.

I glance up and find a tall lanky boy with dark skin and inky black hair. His eyes almost pop out of his head when he sees me and I quickly wipe my mouth in fear that my lunch might have made it onto the corners of my mouth.

My brows furrow when I notice that he's in my seat. I give Hank a glance and he smiles at me and I quickly take a seat in the corner and cross my arms over my chest. I can feel the boys eyes on me and I sneak a glance at him, my eyes trail up the length of his body. I can't decide what age he is since his body is long and muscular but his face looks young.

My eyes meet his and he tilts his head at me giving me a slight smile that causes me to turn around and look out the window. My heart is pounding in my chest because I know that guy. It's the

guy from the cemetery.

I take two deep breaths and look at his reflection in the window. He's still looking at me like he's working up the courage to come and talk to me. I cross my fingers in hope that he won't. I don't know what I would say to him.

Hank pulls in front of the library in I grab my bag in a hurry. The steps leading off the bus are slippery from the rain and I slip.

The guy grabs me by my arm gentle enough that it doesn't hurt but forceful enough that I don't hit the ground. When I'm finally able to get back on my own feet I look up to meet his coffee brown eyes. He's warm and inviting and I feel at ease standing next to him.

"Hi," he says before his face breaks out into a sweet smile, "I'm Seth."

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Ryssa blushes at me and I can't help but smile even wider. She's beautiful.

"Ry- Ryssa. I'm Ryssa." She stutters out and I let go of her arm realizing that I'm still hanging onto her. She looks at the spot where my hand was and I regret my choice of letting her go.

She chews her lip for a few moments before turning on her heel and walking up the steps to the library. She pauses at the top and looks over her shoulder and I follow her quickly, like a lost puppy almost.

When I stand next to her I can't believe how short she is. I mean I am a giant but she can't be taller than 5'4" at the most and that's pushing it. Her hair is in a tangled mess from the wind and from wearing her hood. Her green eyes are wide as the sweep across her surroundings. They fall on every person giving the a look over. She studies them even tilts her head at some. Ryssa's pink lips part and she licks them hurriedly before holding her books closer to her chest and walking in a drift like way to a table.

I run a hand through my hair and wonder how someone could move so gracefully. I could tell that even though she seemed like she was so cut off from the world she noticed everything. The way she would tense up at certain sounds or how her eyes would flicker with certain movements, she's aware of her surroundings, more that I think she realizes.

I take a seat across from her and tilt my head at her history book. It's the same version as the ones we have on the Res, but hers seems to be taken care of. She even has a plastic covering over it. It makes me smirk because I would never go this far to protect a school book.

"How old are you?" She asks quietly, so quietly that if I didn't have superior hearing I would never had known she said anything to me at all.

"Fifteen." I say and her hand twitches, her eyes lifting up from her book to meet mine. "Really, I'm fifteen. How old are you?"

"I turned sixteen two months ago." She murmurs before looking back down at the black and white print.

"Well, than happy late birthday." I say and the corners of her mouth turn up just a bit, enough to let me know that she enjoyed light humor.

"Is it my turn to ask a question?" I ask and her brows furrow, "Isn't that how the games twenty questions works?"

"I didn't realize we were playing a game and yes that's how twenty questions works. That also counted as your first question." She says and I lean back in my chair.

"No that doesn't count as my first question." I say and she cocks a brow upwards.

"Fine then, ask your question." She replies before looking back down at her textbook.

I think about it for a few seconds because I don't want to look stupid by asking an unimportant question, "Are you an only child?"

"Yes. Are you?" She replies quickly and I shift in my chair wanting her to look up, pay more attention to me instead of that book.

"No, I have an older sister, Leah." I answer and she tilts her head, flipping the page in the book.

"Leah's a biblical name. It means weary in Hebrew." She says and I smile, so she's religious.

"Do you go to school on the Reservation?" Ryssa asks and I nod my head. Her eyes flicker with sadness and I wonder if she has any Quileute relatives.

"Yes." I answer and she sighs, placing her chin into the palm of her hand.

"Quileute land is beautiful. My grandfather was Quileute, I haven't gone up there since he passed." Ryssa says and her emerald eyes swim with such emotion that I never want to look away.

"Are you really religious or just kind of religious?" I ask and smiles slightly.

"Neither, I just do a lot of reading." Ryssa answers and I laugh.

"You read the bible?" I ask and she crosses her arms over chest. I really had her attention now.

"I do believe that it's my turn to ask the question Seth." Ryssa says and my heart flickers in my chest at the sound of my name.

"What's your favorite color?" She asks and I smile at the simplicity of the question.

"Green." I answer maybe far too quickly but after seeing the door of her eyes its hard for green not to be my favorite.

"What kind of green?" Ryssa asks and I shake my head at her.

"It's my turn. What does my name mean?" I ask and she smiles. A real smile that shows off he perfect alignment of white teeth.

"I'll let you know when I read about it." She answers and I lean forward in my chair a little bit. This girl was good.

The game goes on back and forth like this until the library closes. I feel like I know every random fact about Ryssa, from her favorite color which is a sky blue to her middle name which is Arlene. I learned that she hates her middle name and one day inspires to be a journalist.

"I'll see you another time?" She asks when the bus pulls into her stop and I nod my head.

I slip a piece of paper with my phone number into her hand and she blushes at the contact of our skin. Ryssa stands up clumsily and waves goodbye to the bus driver before hopping off the bus and walking a little ways farther down the street to her home.

"She's a special girl, Ryssa." The bus driver says and I look up, meeting his eyes in the rear view mirror. "She's a lot like how her mother was, timid but with the biggest heart in the world."

"She is really great." I answer and he nods his head. Ryssa is really something else and I can't imagine not having imprinted on her.

I'm a lucky guy.

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	4. Chapter 4

I wake up tangled in my sheets and a cold sweat beading on my forehead. Nightmares sometimes plague my mind, especially when I'm really tired. It takes a few moments for me to wake out of my funk and shake off the bad dream.

My nightmares are always about the one thing I want to forget, my mothers accident.

I shiver and crawl out of bed. It's about five in the morning and there's no use in trying to go back to sleep now. I just had to get up in another hour to get ready for school.

I decide to head out to the backyard and sit on the deck. Sure it's cold this morning with all the snow but I liked to watch the woods in the back of my house to see what animals would appear in the yard. Sometimes there's foxes other times there's deers. Just depends on the morning and whether or not the animal wants to come out.

There's a nice layer of white undisturbed snow in the yard so I take a seat on my favorite chair and wait. A few birds call to each other overhead in the trees and a notice a deer digging around in the snow. I tilt my head and watch it, wondering how long it will stand there until it notices me.

A twig snaps in the distance and both the deer and me snap out heads up towards the sound. I try to focus my eyes on whatever it is in the distance but the woods are too dark. The deer decides that whatever it is is dangerous and disappears in a run away from whatever snapped the twig.

If I was braver I would investigate but another twig snaps and I head inside quickly not wanting to find out what's out there. The house is a warm relief from the biting cold and I take a running leap before landing softly on the cushions and burrowing myself into the heavy blankets.

"Good morning Ryssa." My father says from the kitchen and I jump, I didn't think he was up. Which is just silly of me because my dad leaves the house at six every morning in order to make it to work on time. He didn't need to be in as early as everyone else since he pretty much ran the company.

"Hi dad, sleep well?" I ask and he nods barely looking up from the newspaper he's reading. The headline is the mass murder running around the streets of Seattle. The thought makes my stomach hurt because whoever the killer is could run into my dad and then what would happen to me? My dads the only family I have left, we need each other.

"Just great, and you?" He asks and I wonder of I should tell him about the bad dreams. I doubt he would want to hear about them, but I wanted to talk to someone about them, maybe I'll just tell Sarah or Johnny

"Fine." I answer and he nods his head before dropping the newspaper and looking right at me. His green eyes scrutinize me and I feel like he's reading my mind the way he studies me.

"Are you feeling ok?" He asks and I lick my lips before nodding my head quickly. If I stayed home from school I would be left alone with my thoughts and that eerie silence that chills my bones.

I shudder just thinking about it. I hate being alone, but that's all I really wanted was to be left alone.

~T~

I sit at our usual lunch table with my phone glued to my hand. Seth had texted me something funny and even though I knew I should push him away from me like I do everyone else I just can't. I enjoy Seth's happy go lucky personality.

"Who you texting?" Johnny asks before slamming his lunch tray down on the table.

"A friend." I say and Johnny snorts as he shovels the cafeterias mashed potatoes into his mouth.

"Well I'm here and Sarah's there," he says before pointing at Sarah who is making her way through the cafeteria to us, "so who are you texting?"

"It's no one." I say and Johnny crosses his arms over his chest.

"Oh my god you're a liar." Johnny says just as Sarah sits at the table.

"Why are you lying? What are we talking about?" Sarah asks and then my phone vibrates obnoxiously, "Who are you texting? We're all here."

"It's no one you guys." I say before slipping my phone into my pocket, "Just let it go."

"Ryssa we're like your best friends." Johnny says with a pout.

"Yeah, no secrets remember?" Sarah chimes in and I sigh. No secrets is our number one rule in our friendship.

I eat my lunch for a few seconds. It's turkey and Swiss cheese on wheat bread. My favorite especially with tomatoes on the side.

"Okay," I say after taking a large sip of soda, "I'm texting this guy. His name is Seth and I met him on the bus when I was going to the library."

They jaws drop and Johnny lets out slow whistle, "Does he go here?"

"No, he's Quileute." I say and Sarah grins at me.

"Dang Rys, and I thought you didn't know what boys were." Sarah says and I stick my tongue out at her.

"Shut up, he's nice and funny. Besides I only want him as a friend." I say and they crinkle their noses at me.

"What did you just say?" Sarah asks and I stare at her.

"That I want him as a friend." I say and Johnny laughs.

"Oh my god Ryssa wants a friend. She's actually not pushing someone away! Quick check if she has a fever!" Johnny says and Sarah places her hand on my forehead.

"No, no fever. This is real." Sarah says and I make a face at them.

"Okay, enough with the teasing." I say and they laugh and I join in.

It's strange to actually feel happy.

~.~.~.~.~.~.~.~.~.~.~.~.~.~.~.~.~.~.~.~.

Its difficult to not want to be around Ryssa all the time, but since we just met I need to take it slow so that I don't freak her out. That doesn't mean I can't stop by her house in wolf form, just to make sure she's ok though.

I notice Ryssa sitting on a chair in her backyard and I slowdown. What was she doing up at 5:30? It's cold out here and I was suddenly worried that she might catch a cold.

I watch her warm breath curl out of her mouth like smoke and notice that she seems troubled. Her breath keeps hitching and her brows are furrowed so deeply that she has a heavy wrinkle between them.

I've seen Emily with the same expression on her face but Sam is always able to make her feel better. I wish I could do this for Ryssa now. I take a step closer in her direction and notice that she's watching a small brown doe. I instantly regret my choice because I know the doe will catch my scent and flee.

I take a step back by my back paw steps on a twig and it snaps. My ears pin flat against my head and I pray that I'm far enough back in the darkness of the woods that Ryssa won't see me. The doe decides that I'm dangerous and I shift to get a good look at Ryssa stepping on another twig. I curse my overgrown paws and watch Ryssa retreat inside quickly.

I growl in frustration with myself and curl up at the edge of the woods, just close enough to the house but far enough away that if Ryssa or her dad looked out the window they wouldn't see me. I can hear them talking in the kitchen now. Ryssa is upset but her dad doesn't quite catch on to her mood.

I sigh and my ears pin back to my head again. I wish I could do something to make her feel better but u can't really explain to her as to why I'm standing on her back deck at almost six in the morning.

"You would also be naked which would make the whole situation even more awkward." Quil says and I growl at him.

"Shut up." I mumble back and Quil chuckles. He's making his way over to my my location and I shift uncomfortably. I wasn't in the mood to be teased.

Quil steps on my tail on purpose and I stand up snapping at him in pain. I'm not usually the violent type but this is ridiculous. I just want a little peace.

"You almost done being a stalker?" Quil asks and I look up to Ryssa's window. The blinds are drawn and I hear the low sound of the shower running.

"Are you almost done being annoying?" I ask and Quil snaps at me playfully before taking off into a rub with my following close behind.

"You shouldn't be so obsessed Seth. Ryssa's not going anywhere." Quil says and I sigh, picturing her in my mind.

"I don't get to see her as much as Jared gets to see Kim or Sam gets to see Emily. You even get to see Claire more than I get to see Ryssa." I say and Quil chuckles.

"You have some serious case is puppy love kid." Quil says and I shake out my fur running off into the direction of my house.

"Yeah, yeah Quil. I'll see you after school." I say before phasing and running inside quickly to shower and get a few pages of my homework done.

My mom was going to kill me if my grades dropped below a C. Sam wouldn't let me run with the pack either and I wanted to be present for the fight against the new born army that was coming up. I wanted to prove myself to the pack that I wasn't just some little kid they all thought I was.

~T~

School is long today and I'm really bored during lunch. The guys that I hung out with before turning into a wolf weren't wolves themselves so we weren't friends anymore. It sucked really as I watch the group of them mess around at the table.

Sure I had fun with the guys in the pack but only Jacob, Embry,and Quil still went to school and since the three of them were all best friends to begin with I didn't get a lot of their inside jokes. I'm also the youngest so they still treated me like a kid as well.

Jacob and Embry haven't been going to school lately and I figure that the two of them are just going to get their GED's like the rest of the pack had done. I would do the same but Sam forced me to attended school. Quil only went to school because he likes to attend. I find that to be crazy.

I decide to text Ryssa. I figured she was at lunch as well.

_So why did the mushroom go to the party_? I text her, it doesn't take long for my phone to buzz with a reply.

_Because he was a fungi? _She asks and I smirk at my phone.

_Boo, you knew that one. Couldn't you have just humored me and let me say the punch line? _I ask her.

It takes a while for her to reply and I wonder if I'm boring her, or if I said something stupid. I chew the inside of my cheek, breaking the soft skin.

_Ok, sorry. Tell the joke again. _She texts and I smile at my phone.

_So why did the mushroom go to the party? _I text her and she replies quickly.

_I don't know, why? _I can imagine her sarcastic tone in my head.

_Because he was a fungi._

_Hahahaha Seth, why are you so funny?_

_It's a gift._

We banter back and forth like this for awhile. It was nice to actually have someone around who wasn't a wolf and didn't see me like a child.

I hoped I made her as happy as she did me.

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